Linwood Cemetery is a cemetery located in
Linwood Linwood may refer to:
Places
Many of the place names for Linwood come from the presence of linden trees. Australia
*Linwood, South Australia
* Linnwood, Guildford, 11-35 Byron Road, Guildford, New South Wales
Canada
* Linwood, Ontario
* Linwood, ...
,
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
, New Zealand. It is the fifth oldest public cemetery in the city. Despite its age, it is still open for ashes interment, Hebrew Congregational burials and if there is space in existing family plots. Opened in 1884, it has seen some 20,000 burials. The first burial, of the
Sexton's wife, was held in July 1884 before the cemetery was opened. For some years, a tram line stopped within the cemetery before terminating on what is now Pages Road. The tram lines going into the cemetery are still visible under the tar-sealed road leading from the Butterfield Avenue car park. A tram hearse was built at some expense for the time by the
Christchurch City Council
The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, who ...
but is believed to have never been used.
The human remains from the Jewish Cemetery in Hereford Street were relocated to Linwood Cemetery after the Hebrew congregation sold the land of their earlier burial ground. A memorial to those re-interred was put in place but was badly damaged in the
February 2011 earthquake.
After the removal of the Sexton's house in the 1980s, the cemetery was subject to neglect and vandalism. The Friends of the Linwood Cemetery, a charitable trust, was formed to preserve and maintain the site and promote it as a valuable heritage site for the city. The Christchurch City Council produced a
Conservation Plan
The ''Conservation Plan'' is an important publication written by James Semple Kerr in 1982, and revised many times. It was a landmark in Australian conservation. The document "...outlines the logical processes of the Burra Charter, and how to pre ...
for the cemetery in 2006.
Linwood Cemetery is the resting place of a large number of notable residents. Those buried at Linwood Cemetery include 13
Christchurch mayors, several
Members of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
, bishops and ministers, and the
Peacock family whose philanthropy is associated with the iconic
Peacock Fountain in the
Botanic Gardens
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
.
Location
Linwood Cemetery is located in Butterfield Avenue, behind Bromley Park (off Buckley's Road), Christchurch.
It is connected to the city centre and New Brighton by bus routes. There are a number of other cemeteries in this area, including the
Bromley Cemetery
Bromley Cemetery is a cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand. It occupies approximately 10 hectares to the east of the city centre, on the corner of Keighleys Road and Linwood Avenue. The Christchurch City Council maintains and administers the ce ...
and Woodlawns (which includes Bromley Crematorium). Both are often incorrectly called Linwood Cemetery because of their locations off Linwood Avenue.
History
![Hearse-tram-Linwood](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Hearse-tram-Linwood.jpg)
Linwood Cemetery is the fifth oldest surviving cemetery in Christchurch.
It was opened in October 1884 as a response to concerns about the health implications of burying people in the
inner city
The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists some ...
.
The area where the cemetery was built was originally lupin-covered sand dunes well outside the city and near the Corporation rubbish dump. The land came under the jurisdiction of the Linwood Town Board which did not amalgamate with the city until 1903.
The first person buried in the cemetery was Sarah Freeman (Block 2 Plot 1), which is all the more significant as she was the Sexton's wife, and died in July 1884 whilst the cemetery was still being prepared. The funeral on 10 July was attended by the
Mayor of Christchurch
The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor, Ph ...
,
Charles Hulbert
Charles Hulbert (18 February 1778 – 9 October 1857) was an English businessman and writer.
Life
The son of Thomas Hulbert of Hulbert Green, near Cheadle, Cheshire, he was born in Manchester on 18 February 1778, and educated at the grammar sc ...
, and several councillors.
After a lengthy debate, Linwood Cemetery was connected to the
Christchurch tramway system. Approval for construction of the line was given in April 1885. Construction began on 26 November 1885 at Latimer Square and was completed by March 1886. The line was officially opened on 23 April 1886. Initially, it was the 'end of the line' from the city centre and people had to walk across or around the cemetery to connect with the tram line to
New Brighton, which was run by a different company. By January 1887, the two lines had been connected. The city council had a tram hearse built for up to four coffins, with the intention of providing cheaper form of transport to the cemetery than what funeral directors would charge. The scheme was a failure and it is believed that the tram hearse was never used. In 1888, a council committee recommended that the rails into the cemetery be removed again and used elsewhere, but this was never acted on, and the rails, although sealed over, are still faintly visible. The tram hearse was bought by
Samuel Paull Andrews for £3 and used as an explosives store in his St Andrew's Hill quarry.
It is possibly that Linwood Cemetery is the only one in the world to have had a tram line.
![Peacock Mausoleum 22](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Peacock_Mausoleum_22.jpg)
Members of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation had purchased land in Hereford Street (in the section between Fitzgerald Avenue and Stanmore Road) for a Jewish cemetery.
Between 1865 and 1890, 34 burials took place.
The new Linwood Cemetery had a Jewish section, and the Hereford Street cemetery fell into disuse. By 1924, it looked "unsightly" and the Jewish congregation decided to shift the human remains to the Linwood Cemetery and sell the land. A legal issue stopped a land sale from going ahead and it required the passing of the Canterbury Jewish Cemetery Empowering Act 1943 to progress the issue. The remains were re-interred at Linwood Cemetery and a memorial marks the location with the following words: "Here repose the remains of the following that were removed from the Hereford Street Jewish Cemetery"
In 2005/06 a Conservation Plan was developed by the
Christchurch City Council
The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, who ...
to evaluate the heritage value of Linwood Cemetery. As well as identifying Linwood Cemetery as of valuable heritage and green space value, the Conservation Plan describes the priorities and processes required to conserve the cemetery. The conservation plan is due to be revised in the near future.
A Sexton lived in a house in Linwood Cemetery until the early 1980s.
From the late 1980s through to 1999, the cemetery fell into disrepair and nobody was looking after it, and vandalism was occurring. Since then, following a public meeting, a small group of local volunteers keep Linwood Cemetery tidy and promote its value as a much needed green space and heritage site.
The Friends of Linwood Cemetery Charitable Trust
continue to research the history of Linwood Cemetery and undertake conservation work.
The original research was carried out by local historian Richard Greenaway and can be found in Linwood Cemetery Tour.
The cemetery is almost full, with further burials possible in the children's, ashes, and Jewish sections only.
The Friends of the Linwood Cemetery
![Peacock Mausoleum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Peacock_Mausoleum.jpg)
Following recommendations in the Conservation Plan for Linwood Cemetery, local residents who had been tidying and gardening Linwood Cemetery as a Working Group since 1999 formed a
charitable trust in November 2006. The trust's vision is to "conserve and maintain the heritage of the Linwood Cemetery for future generations." The Friends of Linwood Cemetery Charitable Trust organise regular working bees at the cemetery, record the condition of graves, record information about the cemetery and those buried in it on its own website, publicise the cemetery through articles and events and raise funds for projects to help preserve valuable heritage aspects of the cemetery.
In November 2011 Dulux donated paint to the Trust to paint a trompe l'oeil of the Peacock Mausolem to cover the graffiti on a 'temporary' protective covering. The artwork was carried out by Anne Holloway, the chair at the time. The artwork was finished in August 2012. Bob Todd the Chair of the Hagley Ferrymead Community Board unveiled the artwork in a ceremony in May 2012 before the signwriting was completed by Digby Gemmel in the following months.
Notable burials
Those buried at Linwood Cemetery include at least thirteen Christchurch mayors (see below), several members of parliament, bishops and ministers, and the Peacock family whose philanthropy included the iconic
Peacock Fountain in the Botanical Gardens. Many original settlers from the ''
First Four Ships
The First Four Ships refers to the four sailing vessels chartered by the Canterbury Association which left Plymouth, England, in September 1850 to transport the first English settlers to new homes in Canterbury, New Zealand. The colonists or se ...
'' are buried here. 54
Commonwealth war graves
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...
(50 from
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and 4 from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
)
CWGC Cemetery Report and memorials to over 300 ANZACs are found at Linwood Cemetery. Linwood Cemetery is important not only for its notable person graves, but that everyone buried there is significant to the development of the Christchurch and New Zealand we know today.
Notable individuals include:
*
Samuel Paull Andrews (1836–1916), Member of Parliament
*
Edwin Blake
Edwin Blake (1830 – 18 March 1914) was a 19th-century Liberal Party Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand.
Early life
Blake was born in Hampstead, England. He and his brother Walter were both educated at Wimborne and then Et ...
(1830–1914), Member of Parliament
*
De Renzie Brett
De Renzie James Brett (11 April 1809 – 16 June 1889) was a soldier, farmer and politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council.
Brett was born at Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland, in 1809. Together with his family, he came ...
(1809–1889), soldier, farmer and politician
*
Thomas Davey (1856–1934), Member of Parliament
*
Arthur Dudley Dobson
Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson (9 September 1841 – 5 March 1934) was a New Zealand surveyor, engineer and explorer. Born in London, he came to Lyttelton, New Zealand, in 1850 on one of the First Four Ships. He is best known for taking the first part ...
(1841–1934), pioneer surveyor, engineer, and explorer after whom Arthur's Pass is named
*
Thomas Edmonds (1858–1932), manufacturer of 'Sure To Rise" baking powder and publisher of New Zealand's best selling book, the ''
Edmonds Cookery Book
The ''Edmonds Cookery Book'' is a recipe book focusing on traditional New Zealand cuisine. It was first published as ''The Sure to Rise Cookery Book'' in 1908 as a marketing tool by baking powder manufacturer Thomas Edmonds (today part of Goodm ...
''
*
George Hart (1820–1895), Member of Parliament
*
Leonard Isitt (1855–1937), Member of Parliament and prohibition advocate
*
Joseph Ivess
Joseph Ivess (8 February 1844 – 4 September 1919) was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He had an association with a large number of newspapers.
Early life and Australia
Joseph Ivess was born in Askeaton, County Limerick ...
(1844–1919), Member of Parliament and newspaper proprietor
*
Churchill Julius
Churchill Julius (15 October 1847 – 1 September 1938) was an Anglican cleric in England, then in Australia and New Zealand, becoming the first Archbishop of New Zealand.
Biography
Julius was born at Richmond, Surrey in 1847. He was educated ...
(1847–1938), second Anglican Bishop of Christchurch
*
Robert McDougall (1860–1942), benefactor of the
Robert McDougall Art Gallery
The Robert McDougall Art Gallery is a heritage building in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was designed by Edward Armstrong and it opened in 1932. It is a Category I heritage building listed with Heritage New Zealand and is located within the Chri ...
*
Edith Mellish (1861–1922), founder of the
Community of the Sacred Name
*
John Thomas Peacock
John Thomas Peacock MLC JP (1827 – 20 October 1905) was a New Zealand businessman, philanthropist and politician. He came to Canterbury in 1844, several years before organised settlement started.
Early life
Peacock was born in 1827 in the H ...
(1827–1905), businessman, philanthropist and politician
*
Ebenezer Sandford (1848–1897), Member of Parliament
*
Alfred Saunders (1820–1905) early settler, Member of Parliament, and author
*
Henry Suter
Henry Suter (born Hans Heinrich Suter, 9 March 1841 – 31 July 1918) was a Swiss-born New Zealand zoologist, naturalist, palaeontologist, and malacologist.
Biography
Henry Suter was born on 9 March 1841 in Riesbach, Zurich, Switzerland, and ...
(1841–1918), zoologist
The following former
Mayors of Christchurch, are buried at Linwood Cemetery:
*
Aaron Ayers
Aaron Ayers (1836 – 16 September 1900) arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand from England as a newly married man in his mid 20s. He was a hairdresser and tobacconist for two decades before entering the auctioneering business. He was elected Mayo ...
(1836–1900), 14th Mayor of Christchurch
*
James Gapes
James Gapes (1822 – 22 October 1899) was a local politician in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was Mayor of Christchurch on two occasions, and the father of a later mayor, Thomas Gapes. He was the first mayor who was elected by the voting public ...
(1822–1899), 9th Mayor of Christchurch
*
Thomas Gapes (1848–1913), 20th Mayor of Christchurch
*
Charles Gray (1853–1918), 17th Mayor of Christchurch and Member of Parliament
*
Henry Holland (1859–1944), 31st Mayor of Christchurch and Member of Parliament
*
Charles Hulbert
Charles Hulbert (18 February 1778 – 9 October 1857) was an English businessman and writer.
Life
The son of Thomas Hulbert of Hulbert Green, near Cheadle, Cheshire, he was born in Manchester on 18 February 1778, and educated at the grammar sc ...
(1841–1926), 13th Mayor of Christchurch
*
James Jameson
James Purvis Jameson Justice of the Peace, JP (5 April 1824 – 6 September 1896) was Mayor of Christchurch in 1870–1871. A linen draper from the Manchester area, he emigrated with his family to Christchurch in 1863. He was involved with many ...
(1824–1896), 4th Mayor of Christchurch
*
Charles Louisson
Charles Melville Louisson (1840 – 19 April 1924), known as Charles Louisson or Chas Louisson, was a New Zealand politician. Born in London, and relocated to Australia as a teenager, he worked in farming and on the gold fields. He moved to Chri ...
(1842–1924), 15th Mayor of Christchurch and
MLC
*
George Payling
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
(1854–1909), 27th Mayor of Christchurch
*
William Prudhoe
William Prudhoe (14 January 1832 – 29 April 1908) was Mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand, for 1892.
Early life
Prudhoe was born Sunderland, England. He received his education at a public school and then undertook an apprenticeship as a builder ...
(1832–1908), 18th Mayor of Christchurch
*
William Reece (1856–1930), 23rd Mayor of Christchurch
*
Henry Thomson (1828–1903), 10th Mayor of Christchurch and Member of Parliament
*
William Wilson (1819–1897), 1st Mayor of Christchurch
References
External links
*
* {{ URL , http://www.ccc.govt.nz/cityleisure/communityservices/cemeteries/operatingcemeteries/linwoodcemetery.aspx , Christchurch City Council
Cemeteries in Christchurch
Tourist attractions in Christchurch